No matter where you Fruits and vegetableswhether fresh delivery, The organic aisle of the supermarket Or directly from the local farm, they all need good cleaning before they can be eaten.
Between bacterial hazards such as E. coli, salmonella and listeria, cross contamination, other people’s hands, and various chemicals left on vegetables in the form of pesticides or protective agents, no vegetable should be avoided from entering the sink before entering the mouth. Yes, this includes organic, because Organic does not mean pesticide-free;It’s just not Toxic Pesticides are a common misconception among most grocery shoppers.
Before you work too hard on pesticides in your produce, consider American Agricultural Pesticide Data Program (PDF) found that over 99% of food sampled measured residue levels that comply with safety standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency, while 27% of food had no detectable pesticide residues at all.
In short: some residues are OK, and not all chemicals found on food are harmful – you don’t need to forget to wash away a few fruits and vegetables and feel scared. For example, during post-harvest cleaning, spray food-grade wax on apples to replace natural wax. Trace amounts of pesticides usually don’t significantly affect your health, but if you’re worried that food may be exposed to pesticides or other chemicals, you may take a better approach than on standby and wash the product before eating.
Some varieties are more likely to last particulate matter than others and can help categorize less bad produce, and the Environmental Working Group, a food safety nonprofit, has released a list of agricultural products that are most likely to contain pesticides. Called Dirty twelveThis is a cheat sheet and you should always wash fruits and vegetables.
According to the study, strawberries are the most likely agricultural products to contain pesticides.
The team analyzed 47,510 samples, including 46 fruits and vegetables, tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture.
The first criminal of pesticides in the group’s latest research? strawberry. The total example of popular berries found on them is greater than any other fruit or vegetable included in the comprehensive analysis.
Below you will find 12 foods that are most likely to contain pesticides – 15 foods that are least likely to contaminate.
Dirty Twelve: Fruits and vegetables always need to be washed
According to FDA and USDA data, foods that are most likely to contain pesticides.
- strawberry
- spinach
- Kale, Kale and Mustard Green
- Grape
- peach
- pear
- nectarine
- apple
- Bells and peppers
- cherry
- blueberry
- green beans
Strawberries, spinach and kale are foods you need to wash thoroughly before eating.
The Dirty Twelve pieces are a great indicator to remind consumers of the fruits and vegetables that need to be thoroughly washed the most. Quick rinse with water or spray Generate washing help.
You can also avoid most of the potential risks by buying Certified organic fruits and vegetables No pesticide use. Knowing which foods are more likely to contain pesticides may help you decide where to spend extra money on organic. Just as I’m in a Analyze organic and inorganic pricesthey are not as expensive as you think.
It doesn’t always make sense to splurge on organic products.
More gains from a dozen dirty research
- More than 95% of samples Strawberries, apples, cherries, spinach, nectarines and grapes tested positive for residues of two or more pesticides.
- Total 209 Different Pesticides Found on twelve dirty items.
- In those 209 More than 50 different pesticides Except for cherries, it was detected in every crop on the list.
- Kale, kale and mustard greens, as well as chili and chili peppers, the most pesticides found in any crop – A total of 103 and 101 pesticidesrespectively.
Instead, EWG found these 15 fruits and vegetables east May contain pesticides.
Foods with natural protective skin are far from sufficiently likely to contain potentially harmful pesticides.
Clean 15: You can skip washing fruits and vegetables
According to this study, these are the fruits and vegetables that are least likely to contain pesticides:
- avocado
- Sweet corn
- pineapple
- onion
- pawpaw
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- asparagus
- Honey melon
- kiwi
- cabbage
- watermelon
- mushroom
- mango
- sweet potato
- carrot
Clean 15 was found to have the lowest pesticide contamination level of all test samples, but that does not mean that they are not contaminated with pesticides at all. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the fruits and vegetables you bring home will not be contaminated with bacteria. Statistically you can eat unwashed foods more safely from clean 15 clean foods, rather than dirty twelve points, but rinsing is still a good rule of thumb all Before eating fruits and vegetables.
The EWG method involves six measures for pesticide contamination. The analysis focuses on which fruits and vegetables are most likely to contain one or more pesticides, but cannot measure any pesticides on a given agricultural product. You can read more about EWG’s Dirty Twelve Times in published studies here.
Fresh and Vegetable Washing FAQs
What are the results of the 2024 Shopper Guide for the Environment Working Group’s Dirty Twelve Sample Test?
Among the analyzed test samples, EWG found that 95% of samples from the dirty fruit and vegetable categories were coated in potentially harmful fungicides. On the other hand, nearly 65% of the samples from the clean 15 fruit and vegetable categories showed no detectable amount of fungicide.
What pesticides has EWG determined?
EWG identified many pesticides during the analysis of the test samples, and the organization found that four of the five most common pesticides were potentially dangerous bactericides: fludiocyanide, pyraclostrobibin, boscalid, and pyrimethanil.
